Make Me Care About My Kid's Friend Circle

Having friends from diverse economic backgrounds is beneficial for all of us, but it is especially important for kids from low-income communities. Learn why, as well as how and where to make friends with people who are different from you.

This episode features Jen Hatmaker, an American author, speaker, blogger, and television presenter, in conversation with Abigail Hiller, Research Translation Manager, Opportunity Insights in the United States. Jen and Abigail discuss how having friends from diverse economic backgrounds is beneficial for all of us but is especially important for children from low-income communities. This is because these social networks can help children excel despite challenges like poverty, wealth inequality, and racial segregation. It is important to overcome our friendship biases, which wire us to socialize only with those who share similar backgrounds, and foster cross class connections to increase professional opportunity, mobility, and income for marginalized communities and create a fairer, more interconnected society and economy.

Make Me Care About is produced by Magnificent Noise in partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

To learn more about our show: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/podcast/make-me-care-about

For more on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s work: https://www.gatesfoundation.org

To learn more about My Kid’s Friends Circle:

Opportunity Insights: https://opportunityinsights.org/

Social Atlas: https://socialcapital.org/

For more on the work of our guest,  Abigail Hiller: https://bfi.uchicago.edu/scholar/abby-hiller/

Learn more about our host, Jen Hatmaker: https://jenhatmaker.com

Our production staff includes Sabrina Farhi, Hiwote Getaneh, Julia Natt, and our sound designer Kristin Mueller. Our Executive Producer is Eric Nuzum and the host is Jen Hatmaker.

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